shipping production AI · since 2026 NAICS 541330 / 541511 / 541512 / 541519  ·  CMMC-aware
§ Writing·The Refinery Report·est. 2022
weekly · long-form · no marketing

Notes from a firm
that ships.

Practitioner deep-dives on AI engineering — eval harnesses, MCP server internals, red-team field notes, federal procurement realities. Written by people on the keyboard. No "Top 10 AI Trends" lists. How we research & review →

61 posts weekly cadence · Mondays 4,210 subscribers ↗ also on Substack
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§ Refinery Report· All posts
AI SecurityMCP Security

MCP Security Checklist: Pin, Hash, and Gate Drift

A vendor-neutral MCP security checklist: inventory and approve servers, pin the declared surface, hash tool definitions, scan for poisoning, and mediate at runtime.

June 14, 2026
AI SecurityMITRE ATLAS

MITRE ATLAS for Tool-Using and Multi-Agent AI

MITRE ATLAS gives a shared vocabulary for AI adversary behavior. Here is how to extend it to tool-using and multi-agent systems, where the agent stack is the threat model.

June 14, 2026
AI SecurityOWASP LLM Top 10

OWASP LLM Top 10 Mapped to NIST AI RMF Controls

A practitioner crosswalk of the OWASP LLM Top 10 to NIST AI RMF functions (Govern, Map, Measure, Manage), framed as readiness and alignment, not certification.

June 14, 2026
AI SecurityOWASP LLM Top 10

OWASP LLM Top 10 Assessment: How We Test Each Risk

A practitioner's walkthrough of the OWASP LLM Top 10 — each risk in a quotable definition, exactly how DSE tests for it, and one real failure pattern we see in the wild.

June 9, 2026
Data EngineeringBig Data

Enhancing Data Freshness and Timeliness in Modern Data Pipelines

In the evolving landscape of data engineering, ensuring the timeliness and freshness of data is paramount. The 'Watcher Framework' provides a strategic approach to managing these critical elements within data pipelines.

January 1, 2026
Data EngineeringBig Data

Unlocking the Uniformity of Scaled ClickHouse Deployments

The article discusses the intriguing uniformity observed in scaled ClickHouse deployments across various companies. Despite the diverse nature of businesses, a distinctive pattern emerges when scaling ClickHouse for data

January 1, 2026
AI StrategyInnovation

Strategic Insights from 2025''s Top Technology Narratives

The year 2025 brought forward pivotal stories in technology, as recorded by MIT Technology Review, which hold substantial strategic implications for industry leaders. From the unprecedented rise in generative AI tools an

December 29, 2025
AI StrategyInnovation

Strategic Opportunities in the Evolving Climate Tech Landscape

In 2025, despite the grim overarching climate news, there were significant advancements in clean energy technologies, particularly in China and the United States. China's decoupling of economic growth from carbon emissio

December 29, 2025
AI ROIData Science

Data Science in 2025: From Generative AI Hype to Real ROI

In 2025, data did not just grow—it spilled over. 58% report exponential productivity gains from GenAI, yet fewer than 30% of CEOs are satisfied with ROI. Discover what actually worked: augmented analytics, synthetic data

December 8, 2025
SEOGoogle AI

Gemini 3: Google's Next-Gen AI and Its Impact on SEO in 2026

Google launched Gemini 3 directly into Search in late 2025, ending the ten blue links era. With Deep Think reasoning, 1M token context, and multimodal processing, Gemini 3 fundamentally changes SEO. Learn the new require

December 8, 2025
Workplace AIEmployee Psychology

The Tense Dynamic Between Employers and Employees Over AI Use

A startling 57% of employees globally hide their AI use from managers, while 48% have uploaded sensitive company data to public AI tools. This workplace tension reveals fundamental shifts in power dynamics and the evolvi

September 25, 2025
Post Labor EconomicsUniversal Basic Income

Post Labor Economics: How AI and UBI Can Architect a Post-Labor Economy

AI and robotics are accelerating beyond manufacturing into white-collar and creative domains. A growing evidence base from UBI pilots suggests moderate income floors can improve well-being without mass labor market exit,

September 25, 2025
§ By topic cluster· Four pillars

AI Security & Governance

Practitioner writing on AI security and governance — prompt injection, agent abuse, RAG poisoning, and readiness against NIST AI RMF, the EU AI Act, and ISO 42001. When it is time to test a live system, start with a fixed-fee AI security assessment.

Enterprise AI ROI & Failure

On enterprise AI ROI and the AI failure crisis: why most projects stall, and what separates the 5% that ship from the 95% that do not — rescue playbooks and the systems view of production AI. See how we scope production AI engagements.

Data Engineering & Architecture

Field notes on data engineering and architecture — pipelines, data quality, lakehouse and warehouse design, and the foundations production AI actually stands on. This is what senior-only data engineering looks like.

Industry & Society

Wider-lens analysis of how AI is reshaping work, policy, media, and society — the context that frames every technical decision.

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